Confederate Gen. Lee gets his holiday in Alabama

About 30 people gathered at the Confederate Monument on the state Capitol grounds Monday to mark the part of Alabama's dual state holiday that attracts the smallest crowds and least attention.

The group came to honor Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The third Monday in January was a state holiday recognizing Lee long before the Legislature made it a dual holiday also honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The event, organized by the Alabama Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, began about an hour after more than 1,500 people marched to the Capitol steps to remember King.